D&D General Hypothetical: D&D without ability scores (or bonuses)

[Sorinth]

Before 3e there were very few rules around adjudicating success or failure of skills, at least not until the Skills and Powers book came out. For the most part it was just up to the group to figure it out. For better or worse there's significantly more rules on how to resolve the challenges. I think it's for the better but older editions still have fans. So for me getting rid of that system bonuses and penalties altogether (instead of just replacing them with something roughly equivalent) would be a mistake.

There were non-weapon proficiencies long before the Skills & powers book, if I remember correctly it was roll under the relevant ability score.

But anyways the point is more that you can make ability scores mean less while it still being and feeling like D&D.

 

[billd91]

The 6 attributes are the most sacred of the D&D legacy elements. But what if we just eliminated them entirely? What if we just used skills, proficiencies, feats, etc to define what a character is good at mechanically?

Could D&D be D&D without ability scores? Would you play D&D without ability scores?

You could design an RPG without variations between PCs that would tend to influence various related checks (strength-based, agility-based, whatever)…. But why bother doing that to D&D? What’s the point in killing that particular sacred cow? Is there any real indication that the 6 stats D&D has is hampering its success or that removing them would improve its success or, at least be worth the change in brand identity that would require?